Steelers wrap up flayoff berth

STEELERS 20, CHIEFS 12

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers spent two years rebuilding themselves on the fly, a necessary process that frequently looked more erratic than inspiring.

Consider the project nearly complete. The surging Steelers are heading back to January.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 220 yards and a touchdown, Le'Veon Bell added a score and the Steelers locked up a postseason berth with a methodical 20-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

"It was such a sense of urgency this week, knowing what was at stake," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "I just thought we answered the challenge."

Pittsburgh (10-5) faces Cincinnati next week for the AFC North title. Either way, the Steelers are in the playoffs for the first time since Tim Tebow and Denver stunned the defending AFC champions in the wild card round three years ago.

That group was on the tail end of a stretch that saw Pittsburgh put together three Super Bowl appearances in six years. This group is decidedly younger. The Steelers won their third straight and are 7-2 since an October loss at Cleveland left them at 3-3.

Those days suddenly seem long ago. Pittsburgh kept the Chiefs in check behind a resurgent pass rush energized by the return of James Harrison. The 36-year-old linebacker missed last week's win over Atlanta with a knee problem. He returned to pick up 1.5 of Pittsburgh's season-high six sacks.

"We're headed in the right direction," Harrison said.

The Chiefs? Not so much. Alex Smith passed for a season-high 311 yards, but Kansas City lost for the fourth time in five games. The Chiefs need to beat San Diego next week and get some help to make it back to the playoffs for a second consecutive year under Coach Andy Reid.

PANTHERS 17, BROWNS 13 Cam Newton threw for one touchdown and ran for another as Carolina (6-81) took over sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a victory over visiting Cleveland. The victory sets up the winner-take-all showdown next Sunday at Atlanta. The winner will join the 2010 Seattle Seahawks as the only teams in NFL history to reach the postseason in a non-strike-shortened season with a losing record. Newton threw for 201 yards and ran for 63 yards just 12 days after the quarterback suffered two fractures in his lower back following an automobile accident. Jonathan Stewart ran for 122 yards and caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Newton. Johnny Manziel made his second NFL start for Cleveland (7-8) but left with 1:49 remaining in the first half with a hamstring injury and did not return.

PACKERS 20, BUCCANEERS 3 Aaron Rodgers threw for 318 yards and one touchdown to help the Packers clinch a wild-card playoff berth with a victory over host Tampa Bay. Eddie Lacy scored on a 44-yard run, Jordy Nelson caught a 1-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and had nine receptions for 113 yards, while Randall Cobb finished with 11 catches for 131 yards. The Bucs (2-13) have lost five consecutive and remain in contention for the first overall pick in the 2015 draft.

PATRIOTS 17, JETS 16 Jonas Gray scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter after New England intercepted Geno Smith, and the visiting Patriots clinched a first-round playoff bye. Tom Brady threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski for the Patriots (12-3). With the Jets (3-12) leading 13-10 late in the third quarter, Smith's pass for Jace Amaro hung in the air for an easy interception by Jamie Collins -- and led to Gray's score minutes later. Nick Folk's 52-yard field goal attempt could have given New York a lead with just over five minutes left, but it appeared to be partially blocked and fell short. Brady and the Patriots then ran out the clock.

LIONS 20, BEARS 14 Joique Bell scored the go-ahead touchdown on a sweet run in the fourth quarter, and Ndamukong Suh had two sacks as visiting Detroit held off Chicago. Calvin Johnson added six catches for 103 yards for Detroit (11-4), which came away with a narrow victory over a struggling team after locking up its second trip to the postseason in 15 years. The Bears (5-10) benched quarterback Jay Cutler this week in favor of the undistinguished Jimmy Clausen. Matthew Stafford overcame two interceptions and completed 22 of 39 passes for 243 yards. He hit the 4,000-yard mark for the fourth consecutive year.

TEXANS 25, RAVENS 13 Running back Arian Foster threw a touchdown pass, Randy Bullock made a franchise-record six field goals and host Houston's defense dominated to keep slim playoff hopes alive. The Ravens (9-6) now need some help next week to get into the postseason after Joe Flacco threw a season-high three interceptions and the offense struggled all day. Houston (8-7) remains in the hunt with the victory, but needs several teams to lose next week. With three quarterbacks hurt, the Texans started Case Keenum, who got his first victory in nine NFL starts. Foster ran for 96 yards. But his highlight came when he took a pitch from Keenum and, with a defender in his face, threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Fiedorowicz to make it 16-0 in the second quarter.

RAIDERS 26, BILLS 24 Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes and Sebastian Janikowski kicked four field goals to help host Oakland knock Buffalo out of playoff contention. The Bills (8-7) needed to win their final two games and get some help to end the NFL's longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons. But they failed at the easiest part, beating the lowly Raiders (3-12), and will miss the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season. Oakland has the second-longest active postseason drought at 12 years but has done a good job of playing spoiler in recent weeks, beating Kansas City, San Francisco and Buffalo the past five weeks.

DOLPHINS 37, VIKINGS 35 Miami owner Stephen Ross, buoyed by a thrilling comeback victory in front of a home crowd, said Joe Philbin will return as coach next season. Ross made his announcement in the locker room shortly after the Dolphins won on a safety. Rookie Terrence Fede blocked a punt for a safety with 41 seconds left, and Ryan Tannehill threw four touchdown passes. The Dolphins overcame a 14-0 deficit to take the lead, but trailed again after giving up 15 points in an 11-second span in the fourth quarter. Philbin's job had been considered in jeopardy because the Dolphins will miss the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. But they're 8-7 and have a shot at a winning season if not the playoffs. Minnesota fell to 6-9.

RAMS 37, GIANTS 27

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Odell Beckham Jr. caught two touchdown passes and rolled up 148 yards receiving against a defense that hadn't allowed a touchdown in three consecutive games as host St. Louis topped New York. Beckham set a franchise rookie record with his 10th and 11th touchdown catches, shattered another rookie mark for receptions and topped 1,000 yards while shrugging off a pair of late hits in the second quarter. The second led to a brawl and three ejections, none of them to starters. The Giants (6-9) had a season-best 514 yards in total offense and have won three in a row heading into their finale at home against the Eagles. They had lost seven straight before the current streak started. Kenny Britt made 9 catches for 103 yards and Tre Mason had 13 carries for 76 yards and a score for the Rams (6-9).

Sports on 12/22/2014

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